Control for power operated wringers



Sept. 22, 1936. E, T KER 2,055,225

CONTROL FOR POWER OPERATED WRINGERS Filed April 22, 1936 //v|/E/Yr0/8 EDMUND l. TOOKEIE. l6 v Wfiz Patented Sept. 22, 1936 PATENT OFFICE CONTROL FOR POWER OPERATED WRINGERS Edmund I. Tooker,

Application April 22,

,4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in power operated washers of the domestic type and having a wringer, a motor for driving said wringer and gear shifting means for operatively connecting and disconnecting said wringer with and from said motor and the invention comprises improved means for automatically disconnecting the motor from its power source when the wringer is operatively connected to said motor, said means operating in conjunction with manual means, preferably foot-operated, for manually reconnecting the power source to said motor whereby said wringer may be operated only under manual control.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved control for power operated wringers.

Another object is to provide new and improved means whereby operation of a power operated wringer may be automatically discontinued when an operator thereof leaves the immediate vicinity of. said wringer, in order to avoid accidental injury to children and others, when said wringer is unattended.

A further object is to provide new and improved means for controlling the operation of a power operated wringer whereby operation of said wringer may be more easily and quickly stopped in case of accident or other necessity.

I accomplish these and other objects by means of the preferred form of the invention disclosed in the drawing forming a part of the present application, and in which- Fig. 1 is a partly bro-ken front elevation of one type of domestic washer disclosing my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 an enlarged, broken detailed view, in section, of a portion of the gear-shift of a washer with one of the controlling elements;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2, in section and showing greater detail;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the normally open and manually closable switch; and

Fig. 5 is a diagram of the electrical circuit of my invention.

Referring to the drawing:

The numeral l is used to designate in general a power operated domestic washer or Washing machine, having the usual motor M, a power operated wringer 2 and a gear-shift 3 for operatively connecting and disconnecting said wringer 2 with and from said motor M. As the types of gear connections on such washers are so varied and so thoroughly understood in the art, a detailed illustration and/or description of any particular type of gear connection or gear-shift, is

San Francisco, Calif.

1936, Serial No. 75,854

considered superfluous and unnecessary, and more especially as such connections form no part of the present invention.

It is suflicient'to say that upon the gear-shift 3 I have provided a cam 4 by cutting away a portion of the stem of said gear-shift 3, said cam 4 being positioned to move a thrust rod 6, of any suitable insulating material, to open a switch 1 arranged in series with the motor switch 9 connecting the motor M with a power source II, when said gear-shift 3 is in any but a neutral position, as disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, so that notwithstanding that the switch 9 is closed to connect the power source I I with the motor M, that movement of said gear-shift 3 from a neutral position will open the switch I and stop further motion of said motor M and the wringer .2.

A normally open switch I2 is connected in parallel with the switch I and also in series with the switch 9 of the motor M and is mounted within a suitable housing It upon a floor-plate l6 and actuated by means of a pedal I! hingedly mounted upon said plate It and normally operated by a suitable spring I8 interposed between said pedal I! and plate I6, to normally retain said switch l2 open by means of an insulated pushrod I 9, as disclosed in Fig. 4 of the drawing. The second switch [2 is preferably placed upon the floor adjacent the washer I and closed manually by foot pressure upon the pedal I1, in order to leave the hands of an operator free for manipulating the washer and its several parts, such, for instance, as the gear shift 3 for reversing the direction of rotation of the wringer 2 or the switch 9 which controls the motor M or in attending to the washing operation.

In operation The main switch 9 is closed to connect the art as well as with the present invention, accom F plished by moving the gear-shift 3 from the neutral position marked N to the position marked F in Fig. 2 of the drawing, for operating the wringer 2 in a forward direction, and to the position marked R for reversing direction of rotapower washer haviVing said wringer, :or said motor, and ratively connecting :r, of means autoear-shifting means said motor from aid shifting means )nnect said wringer perated means for u said power source separating means be operated coexlure of an operator n electrically driven otor for driving said urce for said motor, )peratively connectmotor, of a switch wer and automatiiifting means, when er with said motor, said power source; manually closable ource and in paral- -connect said source y of said first switch e operated only coclosing of said sectch. an electrically driven lotor for driving said Iurce for said motor, operatively connectwringer with and connected with said .y connected to said lated by said means, 1 wringer with said and thereby discon- JOWer source; and a tlly closable switch Jrce and in parallel econnect said power :by said wringer may ly with manual closnd operation of said :1 said washer is unholding closed said [UND I. TOOKER.

tion of said wringer. But, in the present case, when the gear-shift 3 is moved to operatively connect the wringer 2 with the motor M the cam 4 will, through the insulated rod 6, open the switch I and thereby disconnect the motor M from its power source H and rotation of the wringer is instantly stopped.

If the normally open switch I2, in series with the main switch 9 and in parallel with the switch I, is now closed by foot pressure upon the pedal [1, the source of power II will instantly be reconnected with the motor M and said motor will immediately operate and in turn operate the wringer 2 in the direction selected and the said wringer will continue to be operated by said motor by the tension of the spring l8 and operation of the wringer 2 will cease.

Manual closure of the normally open switch l2 by means of foot pressure, or manual operation, leaves the hands of an operator free to manipulate the progress of clothing through the wringer 2 or to perform any other required operation. If, for any reason, it is desired to suddenly stop the operation of the wringer it is only necessary to remove foot-pressure from the pedal I1.

The prime advantage of this novel arrangement is that if the operator is suddenly interrupted or her presence required elsewhere, the motion of the wringer 2 will be automatically stopped as soon as said operator leaves the im mediate Vicinity of the washer, thereby preventing accidental injury to children or to clothes bunching in the wringer or any other damage which may ensue from a continued unattended operation of the wringen Having described my invention I claim 1. The combination with a power washer having a wringer, a motor for driving said wringer, including a power source for said motor, and means for. operatively connecting and disconnecting said wringer with and from said motor, of means for automatically separating said motor from said power source when said'connecting means are actuated to operatively connect said wringer with said motor; and manually operated means for re-connecting said motor with said power source, independently of the said separating means.

2. The combination with a ing a wringer, a motor for d! including a source of power 1 gear shifting means for ope: said wringer with said motc matically actuated by said g for automatically separating said source of power when 5 are actuated to operatively c( with said motor; and foot-c re-connecting said motor witl independently of said power whereby said wringer may tensively with the foot-press only.

3. The combination with a1 washer having a wringer, a m wringer, including a power so and gear shifting means for( ing saidwringer with said controlling said source of pc cally actuated by said gear-s1 moved to connect said wring to separate said motor from and a normally open and switch connected with said s lel with said first switch to re with said motor independent] whereby said wringer may 10 extensively with the manual 0nd and normally open swi 4. The combination with a washer having a wringer, a it wringer including a power so and gear-shifting means for ing and disconnecting said from said motor, of a switch power source and operative] gear-shifting means and act1 when moved to connect S3111 motor, to open said switch nect said motor from said I normally open and manuz connected to said power $01 with the first switch to re source with said motor where be operated only coextensive ing of said second switch at wringer is discontinued whe: attended; and a pedal for normally open switch.

EDN 

